Polson museum spotlights American ingenuity, bravery
POLSON, Mont. — A man in Polson has spent his entire life collecting memorabilia showcasing American history, ingenuity, sacrifice and bravery.
Visitors can spend hours perusing the buildings and exhibits at the Miracle of America Museum and still not see everything there is to see.
It all started when Gil Mangels found an arrowhead near Flathead Lake when he was 3 1/2 years old. It was the beginning of a life long passion.
"Yes," he laughed. "I am a collector."
That's probably an understatement.
Today his Miracle of America Museum houses 350,000 items.
"We have Montana's largest stuffed buffalo," he said. " We've got that in a mural diorama display."
There are a number of exhibits of Montana's Native Americans.
He showed NBC Montana a saddle that President Theodore Roosevelt used when he came to Montana.
As we interviewed him Mangels sat on one of the red stools from a 1925 soda fountain that he obtained from Ronan.
"When I was 6 years old," he said, "my grandmother bought me a chocolate malt at this fountain."
From the serious to the macabre, the museum has just about every thing you could imagine.
There's a horse-drawn hearse, a stuffed mountain lion, a picture of the late American singer Kate Smith, an Evel Knievel lunch box, vintage bicycles and an alcohol exhibit.
The museum showcases just about every phase of American culture.
Pointing to the strange Hollywood creation that has scared youngsters for 80 years, he said, "We're looking at a monkey from 'The Wizard of Oz.'"
There's a display on Thomas Edison and his inventions, and a self-playing, coin-operated violin and piano called a Violano.
By trade Mangels is a machinist and welder. His mechanical skills are evident everywhere.
He has restored and ridden many of his 70-some antique motorcycles.
"Here's a 1918 Power Plus Indian Racer," he said, pointing to the mint-condition machine.
There's a huge collection of historic firearms.
"Here's a hand-held cannon," he said, "a matchlock and a wheel-lock."
Alta Gibson of Hamilton worked in a photographic lab after Pearl Harbor was bombed. She donated her scrapbook of photos taken of the battle damage in 1941.
"They weren't designed for public viewing," said Mangels. "These were designed for the Department of Defense."
There's a tribute to David Smart, a Polson boy who died on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.
In the display case are letters he had written to his family before December 7, 1941.
"These are letters with an Arizona postmark on them," said Mangels.
From the telegram his family received, Mangels read, " He (Smart) has been declared to officially have lost his life in the service of his country."
There are tributes from all wars -- of a soldier returning home from the Civil War, and the Funke family of Polson who served four generations in the military.
"In the last generation," said Mangels, "Kane Funke was killed in action while serving in Iraq."
These are just some of the exhibits you will see inside the museum.
Mangels takes us outside for more of his collections.
"Out here is the Pioneer Village," he said.
There are 41 restored or re-created buildings on the 4 1/2 acres.
There are vintage vehicles and aircraft. There's a 1964 Huey helicopter that was flown in Vietnam.
The oldest building on the grounds is a sod-roofed cabin that was built in 1890.
"It came from about 18 miles west of here," he said.
There's a 1934 Chevrolet school bus.
Kids can climb on or investigate many of the exhibits here.
He has numerous bells.
Ringing one of them, Mangels said, "This is a yard bell prior to cellphones."
Ring Out Wild Bells features tunes from oxygen tanks, fire extinguishers and coffee makers.
Mangels was raised on a certified seed potato farm near Polson.
He's collected combines, threshing machines and scores of tractors.
"Here's a 1910 Rumely steam tractor," he said, "and a 70-Model John Deere diesel."
There's a collection of wrenches that have been artistically arranged.
"The corner of this building is quite a wrenching experience," he laughed. " You can see the designs I've made with various types of wrenches."
"We feel we have the most equipped blacksmith shop in the state," he said.
There's a dairy building with milking machines and a handsome red barn that was built in 1936.
There's an exhibit of an old-fashioned beauty parlor and a motel.
Continuing down Pioneer Village he gestured to a "dental shop, mining building and medical building."
You might call it a composite of American free enterprise, and Mangels is still collecting.
